Iowa Girl Eats » PURE bar

I Have a Problem…

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:14:08 +0000

I have a problem.

It’s called – I can’t recognize people if they’re wearing sunglasses. I feel like a toddler playing peek-a-boo. Hide behind your hands sunglasses, and it’s as if you aren’t even there!

I’ve already snubbed three people I know on my running trail this summer, all because they were wearing sunglasses and I didn’t realize who they were until they had already said “hi?” and moved on when I didn’t respond in time.

On my run today, I failed to recognize one of my parent’s sunglassed neighbors, who I’ve known nearly my whole life. She gave a kind of disgusted “cchha” when I didn’t respond to her greeting. It’s only because I didn’t recognize who she was and was wholly unprepared for the salutation. Fail!

Moral of the story, if I know you and don’t say hi when I see you, it’s most likely because you’re wearing sunglasses. If you’re not, then come over, give me a slug and say hi first.

In other news, who wants Mexican? I do! I’ve been thinking about this dish since the last time I made it – Tortilla Egg Scramble!

So easy guys, and so satisfying – this is one of my top 5 fave meals. All you do is warm up some enchilada sauce in a skillet on the stovetop,

throw in some thick corn tortilla chips (my fave are these Santitas chips)

stir to coat,

and place in a bowl.

Place 1 egg + 1 egg white, scrambled with hot sauce and green onion, on top, then melt some sharp cheddar cheese over it all.

Add more green onion, homemade salsa and fresh avocado, and you are set!

I love how the tortilla chips get kind of soft in the enchilada sauce.

Remember when you were little and you’d get nachos at the ballpark or wherever? The kind the concession-stand lady would douse in that nasty, orange cheese sauce and they’d get super soft and fabulous?

This is like that – minus the funk of fake cheese. Healthy, filling and totally hits the spot!

In other news, tonight I will be enjoying a luxurious Chocolate Brownie PURE Bar for dessert.

Which I just realized tastes the exact same as my Chocolate Macadamia Nut Brownie from yesterday, but is probably 1/10 the calories. These bars are genius, I’m telling you!

Can’t wait to curl up with my book and listen to the rain we’re supposed to get tonight. I was only able to dig in for about 20 minutes today at lunch. Long weekends = plenty of catching up to do at work, don’t ya’ know?!

Have a great night everyone!

~~~~~

Are you good at remembering names and/or faces?

I am TERRIBLE with names. So tragic!

Fashion Faux Paus of the 90’s

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:29:38 +0000

Hey guys!

Shopping was fun – I even channeled my inner 4th grader and got some stirrup pants!

Kidding! Seriously though, I used to rock stirrup pants back in the day…and apparently now they’re back in fashion? I suppose they would be good for boots, but I’m don’t know if I’m ready to go back there quite yet! Do you have stirrup pants?

Ben and I also went grocery shopping and picked up something I’ve been super curious about – Throwback Mountain Dew made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I can’t have more than 2 sips of regular pop without getting an instant sugar headache. But with all the hype surrounding the sugar/HFCS swap, I felt like I had to give it a try!

The verdict? Syrupy sweet – maybe even sweeter than Dew made with HFCS. I stuck with a sip and moved on. Good effort on Pepsi Co’s part for coming out with a unique product in a saturated market, but it’s still just too much for me! Do you drink regular pop? I used to drink regular Mt. Dew all.the.time. in college – I have no idea how I used to do it!

Around 4:00 my stomach started growwwwling with a fierceness. I peeked around my cupboards and found myself with all the ingredients for Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowls. Yessssss!

I followed my standard recipe, but subbed cubed, extra-firm tofu for chicken (seasoned the same way and baked for 20 minutes @ 375 degrees) and instead of making my own salsa, I used the homemade stuff my friend gave me from our potluck yesterday!

Ben better watch it, because I am literally falling HARD for baked tofu. I absolutely adore it!!!!

If I closed my eyes I could have literally been sitting down at Chipotle. This recipe is spot on!

Lime & cilantro rice, spiced black beans & tofu, fresh salsa and a couple dashes of green Tabasco sauce. Perf.

I add a TON of cilantro to my rice and even add some on top of the whole dish. I find that most people either love or hate cilantro. I’ve even seen Facebook groups dedicated to taking sides! Where do you stand?

Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. I might be making this again tomorrow…you’ve been warned.

And because I haven’t had any chocolate today, (the horror!) I demolished a Chocolate Brownie PURE Bar for dessert. So.friggin.delicious! I could eat 10 of these – they’re like brownie batter bars!

I think I’m watching the movie Valkyrie tonight. Anyone ever see it? I’m not a huge fan of Tom Cruise’s (15% of me believes he really IS keeping Katie Holmes prisoner!!) but I feel like I should see the movie for some reason or another… hmmm…

Have a good night, peeps!

~~~~~

Looking back, what were some of your biggest fashion faux paus growing up?

Mine include enormous bangs, too many scrunchies, fluorescent EVERYTHING, and No Fear shirts. Oh, the horror!

Do You Snooze?

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:14:37 +0000

I slept in today! (ahhh – angels singing!)

My alarm went off at 5:05 to get up for my morning Mom walk, but I just…couldn’t. You know the feeling! So I texted “skip” to my Mom and hit the snooze button. Forty-five glorious minutes later, I woke up feeling so good.

A lot of times hitting the snooze button just isn’t worth it – sleeping in for an extra 15 minutes isn’t going to make me feel anymore rested and I could be getting stuff done. However, I feel like 45 minutes definitely makes a difference! How many times do you hit the snooze button every morning?

Breakfast is quick and dirty, as they say. A Sampler Style Breakfast.

We’ve got a Banana:

An AppleCinnamon PURE Bar:

Look at those apple chunks! This is one of my favorite bars, purely (ha – purely) for the texture.

And to round things out – a nice Lemon Cream Torte AE Yogurt.

I was actually kind of sad that I didn’t think to mix some yogurt with oatmeal last night, to re-create yesterday’s breakfast. It was that good! Oh well, this way I can eat them all separate – I’m actually saving the PURE Bar for later. 10:00, most likely.

Lunch shall be the perfect meal, in my opinion…Homemade Chicken Soup and a Honeycrisp Apple.

The funny thing about this soup is that it tastes exactly the same, every time I make it. I know that’s the point of a recipe – but it’s just funny how the taste never varies. I love that because everytime I eat it, I’m instantly transported to my Grandma’s house (it’s her recipe!)

Honeycrisps were on sale at Target yesterday, so dear old Ben made sure to pick me up the biggest ones he could find!

Check out that sticker… This past weekend, my friends and I determined that we hate ladybugs. It feels wrong to say that, but during our freshman year in college there was a ladybug plague on campus. You would literally have 20 of them stuck on your shirt after being outside for mere minutes! There were a ton of them flying around in Iowa City during tailgating, which rekindled our feelings of resentment…

Well, I Tweeted yesterday that I think I might be ready to start listening to Christmas music! I usually wait until Thanksgiving to start indulging in those sweet, sweet tunes but I’ve been listening to Michael Buble (I know) on Pandora a lot lately, and his music always reminds me of Christmas! Do you listen to Christmas music? When you do you usually start?

In other news…it’s Three Question Thursday time! We’re off!

1. What’s the wallpaper on your cellphone?

2. What’s your middle name?

3. Do you sing karaoke?

My answers:

1. A picture of Finn on the day he was born…awww!

2. Marie – the same as my Grandma on my Dad’s side.

3. Heavens no! I’m way too shy…

9 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:14:07 +0000

Good morning everyone!

My goodness – let there be LIGHT It hasn’t been this light in the morning since June! Thanks to daylight savings time, I went on my morning Mom walk under a full moon and dark sky, got ready, and when I emerged it was nice and bright!

This morning’s breakfast mirrors my light induced, bright mood. I’m having a simple Banana and Cherry Cashew PURE Bar.

Love this flavor – it’s got a nice tangy zip from the cherries and big crunchy pieces of walnut throughout the whole bar.

Bananas have been getting bashed lately as being detrimental to weight loss due to their high sugar and carbohydrate content. I say, psshhht. It’s a banana! You can’t write off bananas! Do you eat bananas?

Lunch is very exciting today…

I packed a Crunchy Sweet & Sour Salad

In the mix:

Romaine hearts
Chopped baby carrots (crunchy)
Dried cranberries (sweet)
Sliced pickles (sour)

Dressing is a creamy, honey-mustard style dressing.

I also packed a Honeycrisp Apple with some Homemade Pumpkin Butter for dippeage.

Mmmm – this might end up being one of those times where the apple slice is just the vehicle to get the dip in my mouth. I could eat this stuff by the spoonful, I tell you!

Speaking of daylight savings time, it was certainly a shock to the system when 5:30 rolled around last night and it was pitch black outside – eek! A lot of people tend to get the “winter blues” around this time of year and it’s not hard to see why when a lot of us go to work or school when it’s dark, and come home when it’s dark! Here are a couple of ways to beat the blues:

Eat foods that are high in Vitamin D such as fish, milk, oatmeal and mushrooms to increase serotonin levels in your body, which influence mood.
Purchase a sunlight lamp which can increase the release of serotonin, and place it on your desk at work or bedside table.
Keep a bottle of coconut or tropical scented lotion in your purse or on your desk, for an instant mood-boosting scent reminiscent of the beach!
Get outside and expose yourself to sunlight everyday – even if it’s just for a brief five minute walk.
Stay away from sugary snacks, which cause a momentary high but will ultimately decrease your energy levels as it wears off.
Give yourself something to look forward to every week by joining a group or volunteering.
Try to keep a normal sleep schedule. Don’t go to sleep early, just because it’s dark outside.
Exercise regularaly to keep your endorphins up and stress levels down.
Add blankets, candles and decorative touches to your home in shades of the sun – red, orange and yellow.

Is there anything you do to stay positive in the dark winter months?

Among the items above, I try and always plan a Spring vacation so I have something to look forward to. It works!

On a brighter note – enjoy the weather and sunshine today if you can, and have a great Monday!

~~~~~

Do you prefer bright mornings and dark evenings, or dark mornings and bright evenings?

I’d be fine if it didn’t get light out until 10am – as long as it was still light out at 9pm. I like my sunshine at night…so I can wear my sunglasses and not look a fool…

Giving It All Up for Chocolate

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:12:14 +0000

TGIF!

Good morning everyone! I’ve got a lot to be thankful for today.

Thank goodness for Granola & Bananas for breakfast.

I combined another one of my Bear Naked Fruit & Nut Granola pouches with a banana and a splash of milk for breakfast. Nothing better, really!

Eating this reminds me of my Grandpa, who ate a bowl of milk and bananas every single morning

Thank goodness for a simple lunch.

I’ve been eating so much meat this week (a la Chef Ben) that I needed something simple, and pure for lunch today.

Enter CranberryOrange PURE Bar – which is organic, raw, healthy and delightful. Really it is – it says so on the package!

A fat-free Blueberry Cheesecake Yogurt with no added sugar.

And a fresh, crunchy, sweet Honeycrisp Apple.

Thank goodness for Fun Fact Friday!

Today’s fun fact: I worked as a Chocolatier when I lived in Minneapolis!

I’ve mentioned that before I got into cooking, I was really into baking & sweets – which, I’m not sure why, all got started when I moved to Minneapolis after college. Before I knew it, I started looking for ways to make money off of my new found interests. Enter a part time gig working on the weekends at Chocolat Celeste in St. Paul, MN!

Chocolat Celeste creates delicacies for the chocolate connoisseur – ie, they create unique and mouthwatering chocolate truffles, bonbons and treats for the chocolate lover inside us all. It’s a small shop owned by a woman who waved goodbye to years and years of working in the corporate world to follow her dreams and open up her own chocolate shop. No big deal…

I was hired for the holidays to package up big corporate orders in boxes and ribbons, but before I knew it I was creating luscious, silky, chocolate-ganache truffles that we would flavor with anything from pumpkin spice to champagne. After scooping the ganache into golf-ball sized truffles, we’d enrobe them in streams of pure chocolate of all kinds. I came home every night smelling of chocolate – it was the greatest job ever.

If you ever happen to stop by Chocolat Celeste, let me recommend the Golden Cinnamon, Chai and Celestial Sweetie truffles. Ahhh, I can taste them now!

On that note, have a very sweet Friday

~~~~~

What’s the best job you ever had?

Pros & Cons Lists

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:43:47 +0000

Heyyyy I’m back!

Most of the snow, I’m happy to report, has melted – PHEW. I mean I’m all for some festive, holiday flurries, but it’s October 10! You know?!

So – last night’s rehearsal dinner was juicy – we ate at the always incredible Centro, where I dined on a Greek Salad, Pizza Napoletana (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, fresh basil & tomato sauce cooked in a coal-fired brick oven – THE BEST) and ended with the most decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake that has ever passed my lips!

We didn’t end up eating until around 9:00pm, so I haven’t been too hungry today. I finally broke into some eats around 12: Popcorn, Special K Crackers and a CherryCashew PURE Bar.

I bought this box way back when my friend and I had girls night, and we still haven’t finished it! It is packed with these little crackers, which happen to be packed with delicious flavor. Love these guys!

PURE Bars – I will never tire of you

So – outfits for the wedding tonight. You’ll recall I had a similar dilemma for a wedding I went to this summer which is – I had nothing to wear! I hopped over to the mall, which is being overtaken by tweens I might add, raced around for about an hour, and picked up a dress from White House Black Market (don’t mind the undone hair & makeup):

Pros:

IT HAS POCKETS!!
It’s comfortable
Original price: $158. Price I paid today: $39.99
Simple pattern that I can wear for a variety of occasions

Cons:

The torso length is about 1 inch too long for me

Overall the pros out numbered the cons and I made the purchase – yeah! I’m hoping the torso length issue is just something that only the wearer can detect…plus, the great thing about weddings is that nobody’s looking at the guests!

Oh, I dropped Ben off at the church today (he’s a groomsmen) and the bouquets had just been delivered. Aren’t they gorgeous?!

I love the variety of textures and Fall colors in these bouquets. Our bride has great taste!

Aight everybody – I’m off to finish getting ready and enjoy the wedding festivities! Full re-cap to come tomorrow

~~~~~

What’s your favorite flower?

For a long time, mine was gerber daises. Now it’s peonies – pink ones, preferably!

Always Read Your Labels!

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:04:00 +0000

Hey-o!

How’s your Sunday going? Mine’s been really good, actually! For breakfast I did a little bar mix-match action, and munched on half of my Tropical Fruit Lara Bar (I had the first half yesterday morning in the car) and a WildBlueberry PURE Bar.

I totally dug this new flavor! The actual bar was more crumbly than your standard Lara Bar and the flavor was like a tropical pineapple mixed drink. I felt like I should be on a white-sand beach somewhere!

After a Target and grocery store run, I dug into a new purchase – Cinnamon Harvest Kashi Cereal.

I don’t usually buy Kashi cereal because:

I don’t buy a lot of cereal as I eat it too fast
Kashi products are usually too price-ay for this budget diva

Today though, Kashi cereals were 2/$7 AND I had a $2 off coupon – SCORE!

Like the granola I purchased last week, this is probably more of a snack or dessert for me since there is a lot of sugar in here – but, I’d rather be eating a whole grain dessert than not!

That’s one thing to watch for when buying organic or health food products. Just because they’re organic or “health food” items – doesn’t mean that they’re not laced with sugar. Always read your labels!

That said, these.were.awesome. They tasted just like my favorite nostalgic cereal Cinnamon Toast Crunch!!

Well Ben and I are off to go visit our little nephew Finn for awhile, then I want to catch the red-carpet at the Emmy’s!

~~~~~

Do you watch award shows?

I do like the red carpet at the Emmy’s, but not so much the Grammy’s or Oscar’s. I think we’re so bombarded by movie stars all the time, that it’s nice to see our fave television characters come out and play at the Emmy’s!

Just Walk Away

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:18:38 +0000

All hail the Homemade Burrito Bowl! I feel so much better – a remarkable difference from yesterday morning. I’m still having some breathing issues, but physically I feel a lot better!

Seeing as how I didn’t move much at all yesterday, I didn’t really have an appetite this morning. So I made a light, yet tasty breakfast of a Flying PURE Bar!

That’s a sliced Braeburn Apple – because someone ate my last Pink Lady apple! It’s coo, Braeburns make me happy too

On top is my favorite PURE Bar – CranBerry Orange. Well my favorite, non-chocolate PURE Bar.

For lunch, I channeled Monday’s Sweet Soy Glazed Turkey Breast and combined it all into salad form!

We’ve got:

Spinach
Corn
CousCous
Dried Cranberries
Sweet Soy Glazed Turkey

This is very reminiscent of Thanksgiving, don’t you think?

I also packed a new flavor and brand of yogurt: Blue Bunny Raspberry Acai Berry. In case you wanted to know, Blue Bunny products are made in Le Mars, Iowa – which is the Ice Cream Capital of the World. More ice cream is made in Le Mars than anywhere else in the world! Booo yah!

I only buy BB ice cream, so here’s hoping their yogo is deece too. Anyone ever had an actual Acai Berry?

So I was reading the Vitamin G blog last night and came across a post titled “5 Germy Habits You Should Probably Try to Break.” Seeing how I was sick (not flu or cold sick, but still…) and we’re getting ready for flu & cold season – I wanted to share this disgusting, yet important list! Per Vitamin G:

~~~~~

1. Not washing your hands after you pee. Have you ever heard the line that “urine is sterile” so there’s no need to wash up. Um, sorry, you need to wash your hands. Sterile urine aside, there’s still the business of wiping, flushing, and touching door handles–all of which could lead to cross contamination that can make you sick.

2. Eating food samples at grocery stores. For the same reason you wouldn’t lick a stranger’s hand, it’s best not to dive into the freebie bowl of chips at the supermarket. Ask yourself: “Would I open up a bag of chips and share it, communally, with 50 people on the street right now?” Probably not.

3. Coughing into your hand. Maybe it’s just me, but everywhere I’m looking these days people are coughing into their hands–instead of the inside of their elbow. If you tend to do this, try to retrain yourself to cover your cough with your arm and not your hands–it’s polite and it also helps protect others with weaker immune systems from catching any bug you’ve got.

4. Rubbing your eyes–ever. After a fairly icky eye infection years ago, a doctor told me this: Think of your eyes as sacred and untouchable, and retrain yourself not to touch them with your fingers (no rubbing or messing with your eye makeup until you’ve washed them first). The second you touch a dirty hand to your eye, you’re introducing all kinds of harmful bacteria and viruses, which can lead to annoying and even serious infections.

5. Letting your dog lick your hands then not washing them. Guys, I’m a dog lover, but when my golden retriever licks my hands, I go wash them. Yes, it gets tedious to do this (because she’s always giving me kisses), but it needs to be done. I will remind you that dogs and cats get into unsavory things (I’ll just be blunt: mine likes cat poop).

~~~~~

People – I hope you’re following these guidelines already – ESPECIALLY the eating food samples at grocery stores. We’re not talking about the Costco samples handed out by the nice, old ladies in gloves – we’re talking bowl of chips & a dip jar, encased by a plastic bubble. Just walk away…JUST WALK AWAY!!

I’m a total face-toucher too, which I need to break the habit of!

With that – I hope you have a fabulous, germ-free Hump Day!

~~~~~

Are you a germ phobe?

I totally am – washing doorknobs, counters and refrigerator door handles is my crack…

5 Pieces of Advice from Obama’s Health Gurus

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:18:03 +0000

Good morning all!

I feel like I just had a feast! I busted out a big plate (I usually use small plates) and had Almond Butter & Jelly Toast, Scrambled Eggs & a Sliced Peach.

That’s two slices of whole wheat bread, slathered in Sugar-Free Raspberry Jam & Almond Butter.

One juicy-sweet, sliced Peach.

And three Egg Whites whisked up with some pepper and cooked in non-stick cooking spray.

Basically I ate this entire breakfast for about the same amount of calories that’s in one slice of Starbuck’s Pumpkin Loaf. While delicious – I’ll take my voluminous breakfast any day

I packed a very “lunchbox” type of lunch today, aka – no salad! I know! This actually feels weird – I eat a salad almost everyday! Instead I’ll be enjoying:

Almond Butter Sandwich + WildBlueberry PURE Bar:

Mmmm two times the almond butter dosage in one day…yes!

I’ve also got some deeelicious Watermelon.

A deeeeelicious gigantic container of watermelon!

So I read this great article on Glamour.com yesterday – Great Advice For You From the President’s Health Gurus. It’s an article with health advice from President Obama’s top health officials – who all happen to be women! Some advice that I particularly liked:

1. Find a [healthy] habit you can stick with. -Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services

We’re human – we don’t have to do it all, or have it all. If you only have one healthy habit that you stick to regularly – that’s better than nothing! My healthy habit is going on a walk every morning with my Mom

2. Take care of your bones. -Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of the FDA

You’ve only got one body in this lifetime – take care of it! Good sources of calcium include milk, low-fat yogurt, kale, figs (figs!!), tofu, salmon & spinach.

3. Get annual exams by a doctor. –Dr. Hamburg.

I think Nike says it best – JUST DO IT!

4. Back away from the vending machine. -Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform

I can’t think of a single thing in my office’s vending machine that’s better than bringing my own, healthy snack option such as: an apple, cottage cheese, a packet of oatmeal, carrots & hummus, yogurt, etc. Plan ahead and bring your own snacks to work/school, to avoid the pitfalls of vendo-land!

5. Do Not Smoke! –The whole health team!

Just say no, my friends!

What do you think – do you agree with this advice? Check out the complete list, here.

Have a happy humpday all – it’s already Wednesday – yahoo!

~~~~~

How tall are you?

I’m 5’2 – shortay!

Glorious Day

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:44:43 +0000

Hey Buuuuudies!

I have had the best day. I got all my errands done, organized my entire office, filed some pictures away and organized ALL of my bills/important docs/receipts, etc. I keep an expanded folder for each year that have slots for categories like:

401k
Insurance
Receipts
Bills
Mortgage
Important Docs

Up until now my 2008 docs were combined with 2009 docs, and that just wouldn’t do. Today, I finally had the time to separate everything out and gave 2009 its own, green folder. Ahhh, everything is right in the world How do you stay organized?

After mission organization was complete I snacked on an Orange:

A ChocChip Trailmix PURE Bar:

This bar has raw cacao nibs in it, which I was totally craving today. The crunch of the nibs remind me of the crunch of hazelnuts…that’s the only way I can describe them! Well, I can describe them as tasty, too

And some Popcorn! I have not had p-corn in ages…it is so delish!

Oooo look what I got at the store today – facial cleansing cloths!

Fun fact about me: I absolutely hate washing my face. I seriously don’t know how to do it without getting water all over the bathroom and it’s just a mess and not fun. Therefore, if I don’t shower after working out in the afternoon, more often than not I don’t wash my face at night. I know. Trust me, I know.

Anyways, I’m SO excited to use these!! I almost tried one out when I got home, then decided that having to re-apply my makeup would not be so fun. Tonight though for sure!

Speaking of, I think Ben and I are going to do a dinner + movie date night tonight. Movie = Inglorious Bastards. I have not been this excited to see a movie in AGES. I love Brad Pitt when he’s playing slightly “off” characters and BJ Novak is hysterical. Plus Quentin Tarantino (the director) is one of my absolute faves – Kill Bill I & II are my favorite movies! Should be a good night!!

~~~~~

1. What are you doing tonight?

2. What kind of face wash & lotion do you use?

I use Oil of Olay face wash and Neutrogena Sensitive Skin lotion. Love ‘em both